Road Trip USA part 3 - Time with Great Grandma: A Spiritual Journey

Sunday was a beautiful day; I slept in, had breakfast with my Great Grandma, Great Aunt and Uncle, was a lazy bum and chatted the day away. The highlight of my day was hearing Great Grandma tell stories about her first job as a magazine saleswoman, and teaching in a one room school house. She is 90, born in 1921 and raised in Quebec. One of 13 children!!! I can’t even imagine having one child, let alone 13!! And to top it off only 7 survived, many passing in infancy and at young ages. Oh what it must have been like to be a mother of so many children in those days. 

She loved the shawl I got her from Spain <3

She has seen so many things. Moved to the US around my age, not knowing the language at ALL, and look at her now. Hundreds of outfits handmade for her kids (and others), 47 afghan blankets, 9 decades, 5 kids of her own, 2 languages spoken fluently and one unique and amazing life have made me wonder if I will have so much to show for if I someday live to be her age. 

Uhhhhhh... How many kids?

She wore her silly hat again from the Hat Party. My Great Aunt gave it to her to show my Great Uncle and his wife when they got back from VEGAS on Monday. I love seeing them; they are all so sweet and always trying to look at the bright side. I can’t wait to be visiting Matt and Stephanie down in Vegas in a few weeks!!! 

She loved her hat and fake blond pig tails.

This weekend was a much needed weekend of visiting with my family- reconnecting, after doing so much disconnecting. I think it reminded me of why I am going to school in Madrid and why I am following my dreams. Being here reminds me that I want simple but amazing stories to tell one day, to be able to look back and smile like she does and say that was my life. 

Yup, this is my life at the moment.

I love my Great Grandma Rose-Marie, she is one of the pillars of my family that construct - Me. 

She taught me how to knit today - It’s hard work by the way. Then explained how her and her mom spun their own yarn to knit!!! Ten times harder than just buying yarn and knitting like me! haha. I think sometimes in this world, we independent women are afraid to look weak by having or wanting a family, by learning how to cook or wanting to provide for our families, by committing to someone, by not being selfish or caring and by being too “motherly”. I think that being independent, does not mean being alone and emasculating yourself as a woman; we do not have to be more like men to be successful- men and woman are different. Get over it. It’s okay, we need to all work together as a whole world and society. 

Learning to Knit makes me a BAMFF.

My Great Grandmother did not stay at home to cook and clean and make clothes because a man was trying to suppress her, she did so, because her and my Great Grandpa were a team, and she was a strong part of that team and did what he couldn’t do. We now have stores, manufactured clothing, appliances, making our lives easier every day. We forget sometimes how short of a time it has been since these changes- like teaching, 50 years ago we still had one room school houses. 

I know Bailey, this wears me out too!!

So what did I learn on this particular part of my journey?

Let’s give each other a break, and figure it out- together. Culture to culture, gender to gender, sex to sex, language to language, hand in hand and eyes and hearts wide open.

Cupcakes... MMMM Delicious

And I don’t mean to get all soap boxy- but I am blogging my Adventures, and this weekend just happened to be more of a spiritual one.

I will KNIT all I WANT! And you can't stop me. na na na na. ne neh, ne neh na ne

Tomorrow, I am off to Boston for a little more of a real action packed adventure! Wish me luck!